Kenneth Coyle is running for his second term as a member of the Abington Board of Selectmen.

The 54-year-old manager of a local Trucchi’s Supermarket, Coyle has been involved in town government since the early 1990s, when he served on the Sewer Commission.

He said he participates to make sure residents get a fair shake on issues like taxes, the SouthField development and improvements to Abington’s aging school buildings.

“I’m a townie,” Coyle said. “I’ve lived in town my whole life and I wanted to give back to the town I’ve raised my family in.”

Coyle is one of three candidates vying for two spots in the selectmen’s race. The ballot for Abington’s April 26 town election contains four such contests, including active School Committee, planning and health board races.

Compared to many towns in the region, Abington’s ballot practically bulges with candidates, making the town stand out during a time when local election activity has ebbed.

One town over, Whitman School Committee candidates are competing in the only contest with more candidates than open positions.

In Hanson, five residents are seeking two selectmen spots in the town’s only active race.

Easton voters heading to the polls April 22 will see competition in only one of six races. In Bridgewater, the town clerk asked councilors to shorten polling hours for lack of anticipated activity.

There are just two contested races in East Bridgewater and one in Raynham.

Nancy Blackmer, the clerk in Orange and president of the Massachusetts Town Clerks’ Association, said the lack of competition is a frequent topic of conversation among town clerks.

“There’s nobody running,” she said. “Here we spend all this time running the election and incur the costs to run the election.”

Retiring Whitman Town Moderator Michael Hayes traces the roots of decreasing participation to an overall disengagement with civic life.

“People are busy,” he said. “Society is different. There are working parents, plus it’s easy to make excuses why you don’t come and participate once or twice a year.”

Rebecca Kanter, a 27-year-old recent UMass graduate, is bucking the trend in Abington.

She is seeking a seat on the Board of Selectmen, an extension of her activism during college, when she started a student tenants association.

“I’ve really seen how important it is for people to engage civically,” Kanter said. “Elected leaders have a lot of influence.”

She faces Coyle, an incumbent, and Maureen Jansen, a former Finance Committee chairwoman.

Page 2 of 2 - The race in Abington is relatively vibrant, said Whitman resident and Bridgewater State University political science professor Michael Kryzanek.

He said he is not sure why there are more contests there this year, but that he has also noticed slightly more political activity in Holbrook and Randolph as well – mainly a greater proliferation of campaign yard signs.